Anna

You must complete an adoption application with WBCR before we will consider you for one of our Border Collies (under the “adoption” link). One of our volunteers will check your references, and then another will come to your home to meet you & your family in person before the board will vote on your application. If you are approved, we will arrange a time for you to meet the dog(s) you are interested in. If you decide he/she is perfect for you and the board agrees, we will schedule a day for you to pick up your Border Collie, sign adoption paperwork, and pay the $350 minimum adoption donation. This whole process may take a month or more, as all WBCR members are volunteers and we’re committed to making a perfect match for our border collies. Thanks for your patience!

Now that Anna is eating nutritious food, her fur is growing out longer, softer, & shinier! She’s even getting waves on her back! This means she’s blowing her old coat so we’re brushing her often, and I thought it was worth mentioning that she has absolutely no problem having her nails trimmed, fur brushed, or knots trimmed out. She lays on the floor, totally relaxed, for as long as I continue to touch her, just soaking up the attention. How she behaves while the other dogs are groomed is another story. She drops toy after toy on top of them, regardless of how we tell her “no.” I even sat on the toy, and Anna went behind me and pulled it out from under me. I was torn between laughing at her pure Border Collie-ness and being irritated that she wasn’t listening. She is not a dog that sits still well. We’re working on her ability to just chill, but it’s not in her DNA. Like people, some are laid-back and some are workaholics. Anna is a workaholic! But she’s a sweet one!

July 15

I’ve explained how ball-obsessed Anna is, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention she will play with ANYthing! She likes a disc almost as much as a ball although she’s much better at catching the ball. When toys aren’t readily available, Anna will bring you a stick or even a wood chip. I’ve taken a dog to the emergency vet because catching a stick turned into puncturing his jaw so we do not throw sticks, but it’s awfully darn cute that Anna brings anything and everything to you in order to keep playing. We do watch her carefully and make her rest (ie: refuse to throw the toy) if she starts showing signs of overheating otherwise she will keep playing all. day. long. The group picture was taken at the dog park after an hour of running & catching & chasing. That’s Anna laying on her side in the middle of the pack. But don’t let that fool you! In true Border Collie fashion, Anna rests for the count of three then she’s dropping a toy – or blade of grass – at your feet to throw some more.

July 11

Anna is a lot of fun to have around! She has not stopped playing catch in the 2 weeks she’s been at our house. She religiously drops the ball at your feet or on the seat next to you over and over and over… (Watch a short clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHTEeApYK7g&feature=em-upload_owner ) We have to put the toys away when we go outside or Anna obsesses over the ball instead of going potty. We’re teaching her that she has to potty first THEN we play! She has relentless energy & stamina and certainly prefers to play catch over anything else in the world although she’ll leave the ball behind to go for a walk. We all went to the local arboretum over the holiday, and Anna walked very nicely on-leash with our pack. She was happy to stop to be pet by all different kinds of strangers but walked right past if they didn’t ask to pet her, including the people out walking their own dogs.

Our youngest won Anna over with her persistence to play, and she & Anna wrestle daily. (A short clip can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5S0DrngGZs&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share) Anna interacts appropriately with all of our dogs, including our 14-year-old grumpy gal. Anna readily respects her, giving her the extra space she likes to have. Anna is a “softer” dog in that she’s very easy to redirect/correct and seems to have her feelings hurt if you say “No” too loudly. It’s obvious Anna’s previous family allowed her to be naughty about some things. For example, she jumps at the TV to chase the images. Simply saying her name draws her attention away from the TV but it doesn’t last, and it was driving us crazy to call her every 30 seconds so we use her obsession with balls to our advantage. The phrase “Anna – where’s your ball?” is magic! She completely forgets the TV is even on.
Another oddity we’ve noticed with Anna is that she startles easily and is a bit sound sensitive to “odd” noises. Tearing paper causes her to whine and pace, and she comes running and barking every time I sneeze. Yet she was completely unfazed by thunderstorms, the 4th of July fireworks, or the parade that passed our house as we sat on the front porch. Since I’ve never met a Border Collie who didn’t have a personality quirk or two, these things just remind us that Anna’s truly a Border Collie even if she doesn’t have papers to prove it.

June 26Anna moved to her foster home in northern IL this weekend. True to form, she rode like a dream in the car. We went straight to the dog park to meet her foster siblings who were already there playing. (There are rarely other dogs at our local dog park so it’s the perfect, wide-open, fully-fenced, neutral area for us to introduce dogs.) Anna was a little unsure of things but took it all in stride. She got vocal with one of my dogs because she thought she shouldn’t have to share toys, but with one verbal correction and a snap of my fingers, Anna was laying down, waiting for me to tell her what to do next. She takes direction/correction well! She’s also a VERY lovey dog! Within 10 minutes of meeting him, Anna was climbing up onto my husband’s lap, begging for cuddles. She laid her head on his chest, on his neck, anywhere she could to get as close as possible. When he stood up, she was just as happy to play catch. Over and over and over and over…

After playing for a while, we headed home where Anna sniffed her way through the house. Her temporary foster mom had warned me that Anna helps herself to furniture so I was able to stay one step ahead of her. When Anna craned her neck to look up at my bed or my couch, I only had to say, “Nuhunh – don’t even think about it,” and she went on her merry way. We put her in her crate to give her time to process this brand new situation, and she barked intermittently in the crate for 15 minutes, but then, without any intervention from us, she went silent & rested for a couple hours.

The rest of Anna’s first evening here consisted of practicing taking turns with the toys (one of her foster siblings is just as ball-obsessed, and we wanted to set Anna up for success regarding that initial hint of resource guarding at the park) and being goaded into wrestling with our youngest. Fiona worked hard to engage Anna (which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c10_aIRG7SU), and it worked. Within the hour, the girls were playing hard! I had to be the party pooper and separate them at bedtime. We always crate foster dogs in a separate room for bed- & meal-time to give them the impression they’re only visiting & not part of our pack. I thoroughly expected Anna to bark in her crate for a bit, but we didn’t hear a peep from her all night long. She was happy to see us in the morning and start the day playing catch. Over and over and over and over… 🙂

June 12

Anna is settling in nicely. We’re noticing that sounds and lights can set her off a bit. She ends up pacing nervously. However, with consistent redirection, Anna will stop and settle down. Her adopter will need to be consistent for quite a while though, to be completely honest. She enjoys toys and Nylabones (and other dog bones). It may take a bit, but we can get her attention on to what is appropriate and away from freaking out from hearing a sneeze.

Anna went to my parents’ house. She was just as comfortable there as she is at my house. She still went after sunlight spots, but the mini-basketball got her to stop focusing on that really fast! She jumped up on my parents, so she needs to learn some manners, but she was just wanting to snuggle with them That doesn’t make the jumping okay, but that’s the type of jumping it was. If I was thinking, I would have brought some dog treats. Anna behaves well for food! She can catch treats perfectly from quite a distance, too!

My husband enjoys spending time snugging with Anna. She was on her back getting tummy rubs when the Beatles song “Something” came on. They looked into each other’s eyes as if it was “their song.” He cracks me up sometimes, but yes, it was a sweet moment. Whoever adopts Anna will get a gazillion hugs and snuggles.

June 3

Anna is a dream! She’s big for a female, just turned 5 years old, and she wants to be a lap dog. This dog is the most loving snuggler you’ll ever meet! She does offer some commands, and she now is comfortable enough to play ball. Tonight, in the house, she already initiated play with my young dog! Talk about quick progress!

This sweetie travels well in a crate, is quiet, and potty trained as far as we can tell so far. If bored, she will chase shadows, but she can be called off. Today, we tired her out immensely, and she didn’t want to chase any shadows. A tired dog is a good dog!

Anna is healthy and happy. We anticipate that she will have a lot of interest. She is already an amazing, loving pet just after her first night in her foster home!

Anna was introduced to the dog pool today. She was unsure, but she went in on her own a couple of times. She will gain confidence quickly.

This girl is used to being on furniture. She helped herself to the chairs, couches, and bed within minutes of being in the house. I’m teaching her to only come up when invited. Again, she’s a quick learner, so I’m able to make this update with her lying quietly on the floor. Good girl!